The Dead

"By the way, you just said you were only woken up." From beginning to end, Satsuki's tone showed little respect or politeness to the founder of the Ninja World, carrying the straightforwardness characteristic of the Uchiha, or rather, a complete lack of politeness.

Of course, in the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, compared to his eldest son Indra's cold arrogance and foul temper that led him to question everything, Satsuki seemed much more adorable... It's a pity she's not his daughter.

"Yes, that's right," Hagoromo nodded. "The original Pure Land was an absolute void stripped of almost all sensory stimulation and a sense of existence. Souls placed within it lacked the necessary anchors and environmental feedback to maintain conscious awareness, and thus could only fall into a self-protective, eternal slumber. That was not a voluntary choice, but an inevitable result of the environment."

He saw the question that followed in Satsuki's eyes—why was he the only one who woke up? What about the other souls?

"Of course, not all souls can immediately adapt to changes in their environment, even if those changes are for the better," Hagoromo continued to explain. "Human souls are not plants that can be instantly revived by giving them sunlight and rain."

"The speed at which a soul awakens is closely related to the strength of its chakra and its adaptability to change. Simply put, the stronger a soul was in life and the more abundant its chakra, the more active and resilient its essence. In a new environment that allows for conscious activity, it can break free from its long slumber and regain a clear sense of self more quickly."

His gaze swept over the still, translucent phantoms of souls on the grassland. "For all these souls that have been dormant in the Pure Land for who knows how long to awaken naturally and adapt to this new world, I'm afraid... it will still take quite a while."

The reason is quite simple: the stronger a person is, the faster they awaken.

Naruto immediately had a clear answer in his mind. In this Pure Land land, besides the Sage of Six Paths, which souls were likely to reach the awakening threshold first?

Hagoromo also thought of the same question, and his gaze became somewhat complicated as he looked towards a certain direction deep in the grassland.

"Alright then," Naruto spoke up at the right moment, breaking the slightly heavy atmosphere. A relaxed smile appeared on his face. "I'll leave the explanation to those souls who are about to awaken, especially the reincarnations of the previous Indra and Asura Chakra, to you."

"Satsuki and I would like to wander around this new place first and get familiar with the surroundings."

As he spoke, he naturally reached out and took Satsuki's hand. For him, the most important thing at this moment was, of course, to show his wife the backyard he had just personally transformed, a garden that belonged only to them.

"You..."

Upon hearing this, the Sage of Six Paths seemed to become even more transparent, as if he had become weaker from anger. "Can't you show a little consideration for an old man?"

"Don't make yourself sound so old," Naruto said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Besides, you're definitely the most suitable person to explain things. You're the legendary Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of all Ninja; your words carry weight."

"Compared to me, a new, unknown administrator who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Uchiha Madara's temper... well, he'd probably be more willing to listen to you, right? If I were to go, I might have to fight him first to get him to quiet down and listen to me, that would be too much trouble."

Her arguments were well-reasoned and she had no way to refute Hagoromo.

Indeed, given Uchiha Madara's obsessive arrogance and his reliance on the strong, if he were suddenly told by a stranger that "the place you stayed after your death has changed owners and the rules have changed," the most likely outcome would be an immediate fight.

With the progenitor stepping forward, regardless of whether Madara is convinced or not, he will at least show more restraint on the surface and be more likely to accept this unbelievable reality.

As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto gave the Sage of Six Paths no further chance to complain or bargain. He grabbed Satsuki, and the two of them disappeared silently from the spot.

They didn't leave the Pure Land; rather, they were like couples on a picnic, enthusiastically exploring this new, vast, and unknown afterlife.

Explore the borders, find a scenic spot to sit down, and enjoy a unique time for two in this land of the dead.

After a thousand years of activity, the time for rest... isn't even enough for a weekend.

The Sage of Six Paths, who had been forcibly dragged out of bed to work overtime, stood alone in the center of the newly regenerated grassland, gazing at the gentle artificial sun.

A look of exhaustion and helplessness, yet with a hint of novelty and anticipation, appeared on his face, which ultimately turned into a resigned sigh.

Well, it's my fate as a hard-working ox; I can't rest now. I'll go meet those two troublesome reincarnations of my sons first.

Hopefully, Hashirama Senju (Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation has long since been dispelled) is still the same as before... As for Uchiha Madara... he's such a hassle...

"... Um?"

Like struggling to surface from the deepest swamp, consciousness broke free from the shackles of darkness and re-coalesced.

Hashirama Senju slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft groan filled with deep confusion.

What happened? My consciousness... has returned?

Clear thinking, self-awareness, and awareness of the surrounding environment... all of this feels so real, far from the hazy, unconscious state of eternal slumber.

Could it be that I've been summoned back to the mortal world from the Pure Land by some strange, forbidden technique that desecrates the dead?

Fragments of memory crashed against his consciousness like icebergs—his last impression was of being sealed away by a Uzumaki of the Uzumaki clan wearing Fox Mask during an attack on Konoha.

But what happened after that? What happened next? Did the war end? What became of Konoha?

However, his newly cleared mind was quickly overwhelmed by another, more direct and intense feeling, which swiftly negated his guess that he had been summoned back to the present world.

This feels so good.

My consciousness was crystal clear, without the hazy and sluggish feeling of Impure World Reincarnation. The sensations in my body were also exceptionally real, light, and filled with a long-lost sense of "presence," without any stiffness or incongruity from having a foreign object forcibly inserted.

He could even "feel" the soft touch of the grass under his feet, and "perceive" the warm, soul-soothing light emanating from the Little Sun.

This is not Impure World Reincarnation).

Hashirama vividly remembered that feeling—it was as if his soul had been forcibly dragged from its resting place and shoved into a rough clay body, a confinement filled with blasphemy and malice.

Every movement, every thought, is accompanied by an indescribable sense of strangeness and detachment emanating from the depths of my soul.

It's like roughly putting a precious silk robe on a burly, rotten wooden frame; with every movement, you can hear the silent groans of the fabric getting snagged and worn.

That feeling of having one's soul toyed with is something that only those with worldly attachments can experience. After feeling disgusted and uncomfortable by the forced contamination and binding of their soul, they will involuntarily yearn to break free and return to that cold, yet at least pure, slumber.

This feeling of harmony with the environment is completely different from Impure World Reincarnation.

The scenery here is surprisingly beautiful: blue sky and white clouds, lush green grass, warm sunshine, and a tranquility that seems otherworldly.

But Hashirama was certain that he had never been to such a place during his lifetime, and after his death... according to common sense, the Pure Land should not be like this.

"Hmm? Tobirama?"

Finally, after slightly adjusting to this strange state of consciousness, Hashirama's gaze fell on the figure beside him, a figure that instantly made him feel much more at ease.

He stood quietly not far from him—his younger brother, Tobirama Senju.

However, Tobirama's condition seems... somewhat strange.

He remained standing, his eyes closed, his face expressionless. Even more eerie was the fact that the outline of his lower body appeared somewhat illusory and blurry.

He stood there stiffly, unresponsive to the changes in his surroundings or his brother's awakening.

"Hey! Tobirama!" Hashirama immediately stepped forward, reaching out to shake Tobirama's slightly unsteady shoulders forcefully, his voice urgent, "What's wrong with you?! Wake up! This isn't the time to sleep standing up! Wake up! Something's not right here!"

His shaking was not a gentle wake-up call, but a forceful, alarming shake, like a machine being forcibly turned on.

The First Hokage's astonishing arm strength caused Tobirama's entire soul to sway violently back and forth.

Tobirama Senju slept, his brow furrowed slightly. On his frozen face, a blue vein slowly and clearly appeared in the shape of a grid.